Junk
22 Punch Lane, CBD, Melbourne Asian, Fusion
$$$
Food
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Lotus chips
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Edamame
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Gangnam Fries
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Chicken Satay
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Beef Tartare
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Steamed Pork Bao
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Massaman Beef Curry
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Gunpowder Chicken Ribs
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Fraser Isle Spanner Crab
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Thai Black Sticky Rice
The Good
We started off with some Lotus Chips which were nice and crispy, and seasoned exceptionally well. They were absolutely scrumptious! We could also smell the fragrant buttery aroma of the Edamame as soon as the dish hit the table, and much to our satisfaction, it tasted as good as it smelt with the excellent balance of spices.
The Beef Tartare was presented on a tempura seaweed and was amazingly fresh and akin to the taste of raw salmon, so much so that one could have been fooled that it was actually raw salmon!
The Steamed Pork Bun was a crowd favourite and consisted of a beautifully cooked pork belly with pickles stuffed in a fresh soft steamed bun. Drizzled with some sriracha sauce, each bite was simply delicious.
The Fraser Isle Spanner Crab didn’t disappoint either. It was presented beautifully on a green leaf and each bite was nice and juicy with the salmon roe bursting into your mouth complimented by the delicate, sweet taste of the crab.
The Mediocre
The “fries” within the Gangnam Fries were fairly average – they were really more chips than fries. The chips weren’t really crisp and the kimchi flavour was unfortunately lost amongst the nacho cheese sauce.
The Gunpowder Chicken Ribs weren’t bad, although I was hoping for a crispier skin and more depth of flavour as the seasoning was rather mild and didn’t provide the kick of ‘gunpowder’ we were hoping for.
The Chicken Satay was nice to eat, however I definitely wouldn’t consider it a satay as it lacked the peanut flavour and spicyness usually found in a satay.
We finished off the night with the Thai Black Sticky Rice, which felt rather unspectacular due to its blandness. There was really nothing to contrast the blandness of the rice and accompanying coconut cream.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Verdict
Junk Boat initially began its roots in Queensland and have expanded into the Melbourne market by opening a new restaurant/bar in Melbourne CBD. Junk Boat certainly had an impressive menu of Asian fusion items which will certainly compete with the variety of other Asian fusion restaurants in Melbourne. While overall, the dishes were unique, tasty and enjoyable, some of the dishes fell short of their execution. Junk Boat is definitely worth a try.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Good food as well as drinks on the side? I’ll definitely be rounding my friends up for a night on the town!
Penguineats would like to thank Worldwide Hospitality Group for inviting us to the launch of Junk in Melbourne.